Ferrari hits out at Mercedes verdict

Ferrari's 'Horse Whisperer' column has expressed their dissatisfaction with the penalty handed out to Mercedes by the International Tribunal.

Mercedes received a reprimand and has been banned from taking part in July's three day young driver test at Silverstone.

Ferrari has not made an official comment regarding the verdict of the International Tribunal, but under a column entitled 'Crime and Punishment (but make it a light one)', the 'Horse Whisperer' expressed confusion over the decision.

"We learned, that even if one is guilty and in this case that is an indisputable and verified fact, there is always a way of muddling through as best one can," said the column.

"It is somewhat perplexing to say the least to see that the guilty party can get away virtually scot free for having derived “an unfair sporting advantage.” Don’t tell me that testing for three days on your own at the Catalunya circuit is the same as doing so with nine other teams at Silverstone with a host of young hopefuls at the wheel, in an area where the weather can still be changeable even in the height of summer."

"And what if this whole incident had taken place after the young driver test, what would have been the penalty then? Would they have been forbidden from holding an end of year dinner?"

The column also expressed confusion over recent decisions away from the Tribunal, where teams have been told to modify cars with illegal parts rather than exclude them from race results.

"The way things are going in Formula 1 at the moment is becoming boring: you make a mistake, you race with an illegal component, but then you are told to just change it for the next race and we’ve seen what we’ve seen…"

"All this reminds the Whisperer that if he ever finds himself running a Formula 1 team in the near future and that he gets off to a difficult start to the season, then all it needs is to organise a nice week of testing at the right moment and then maybe have to skip a later session, by which time, everything could be done and dusted. What do you reckon?"

There was also a response to Mercedes's questions over Ferrari conducting a test at the Circuit de Catalunya prior to the Spanish Grand Prix.

"PS: Oh, and to those who jabber on about transparency and credibility, the Whisperer would remind them that the rules are very clear: you cannot test with a car from the current year. With those that are at least two years old, you can run when you like, where you like, with any driver you like, dressed how you like, inviting who you like."